The Bible uses a number of images to represent friendship, including the beautiful picture of the knitting together of souls (1 Sam 18:1). This splendid image captures the essence of spiritual friendship: intimacy, loyalty, intentional connection, and a relationship undertaken in the presence of Christ. Spiritual friendship is an ancient practice. While theological reflection on …
View course details “Spiritual Friendship”
An exegetical study of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, with particular attention to its literary structure, its theological themes, and its continuing significance for the Christian church. The historical and literary/rhetorical contexts will be explored with special attention to the problems of the Jewish laws applied to the Gentile Christians. 이 수업에서 우리는 …
View course details “갈라디아서 Paul’s Letter to the Galatians”
On May 22, 1723, J.S. Bach moved to Leipzig to take up a posting as director of music at St. Thomas Church, beginning 27 years of vigorous musical output in that city. Over that time, Bach composed, performed, and directed some of the most famous sacred music in the western tradition. Through it all, the …
View course details “The Fifth Evangelist: The Sacred Repertoire of J.S. Bach”
This course aims to present an overview of the background and contents of the books that make up the Old Testament, and to offer some reflection on the question of how they are best read together as part of the Christian canon of Scripture, and how they should shape both the Christian life and the …
View course details “Old Testament Foundations”
Through the centuries, women—nuns, mothers, mystics, preachers, teachers, suffragists, and household managers—interpreted Scripture through their writings, art, and music. Their forgotten or neglected interpretations of the Bible deserve our attention. Examine how women have read and interpreted the Bible, beginning with the period of the early church. Encounter the writings of medieval visionaries, Renaissance exegetes, …
View course details “Silent No More: Women Interpreters of the Bible”
Mark, believed to be the earliest of the gospels, is known primarily for its brevity and simplicity–a reputation that has occasionally led to scholarly neglect. Recent scholarship, however, has come to appreciate that Mark’s deceptively straightforward approach veils a work of power and rich subtlety. Scholarly rehabilitation of Jesus’s long-ignored Jewishness and careful exploration of …
View course details “The Gospel of Mark”
This course offers a sweeping survey of Christian history, with special attention to the first thousand years. It explores the many and varied ways Christians both embodied and betrayed the way of Jesus Christ. While heavily informed by the relevant primary sources and historical best-practice, the unit seeks to draw out tentative lessons for contemporary …
View course details “Bullies and Saints: Lessons from Church History”
The books of Ruth and Esther reveal God’s hidden work in the face of apparent divine absence. Explore the significance and narrative artistry of these books, uncovering their subtle portrayal of God’s intervention in desperate situations. Examine the complex female protagonists and consider their illumination of the character and presence of a God who shields, …
View course details “Ruth and Esther: God’s Care in Times of Chaos”
Christian salvation is a gift, but what is the nature of that gift? The doctrine of theosis suggests that God’s best gift in salvation is, quite simply, God’s self. Theosis––also called “divinization” or “deification”––teaches that God the Father sends the Son and the Spirit so that the saints may partake of the Trinity’s own divine …
View course details “Partaking of the Divine Nature: Salvation, Holiness and the Doctrine of God”
The purpose of this class is to engage at the level of the imagination with the details of the life of Jesus; His world, life, heart and mind. This will involve a thorough examination of the primary sources (i.e. the gospels) as well as a reliance upon the secondary sources. It is not enough to …
View course details “The Galilean: Details of the Heart of Jesus”